Vent: I didn't order this oil! WWYD?

[karliebug]

We needed heating oil last month so I shopped around for the best price and bought 200 gallons for 3.02 per gallon or about $600. It was the best price at the time and I had to put it on my credit card but it should last us until spring. Well, I come home from work on Tuesday to find a bill on my door from a DIFFERENT oil company for $838 for 250 gallons of oil they delivered while I was at work. It was 3.34 per gallon. I NEVER ORDERED THIS OIL!!! It was from a company that we have used in the past. We don't have the money to pay for this, as I said , we had to charge the other delivery. Anyway, my husband goes to the place and the lady admits they made a mistake and since we didn't order the oil she would do us a favor and let us pay for it over time. I was furious. I called and told her that if she expected us to pay for it we needed a serious discount. She said, "Well, oil has gone up in price the last few weeks you know". DUH! That's why I bought it 3 weeks ago. She finally agreed to match the other companies price and I can pay for it over time but I still feel taken. WWYD? This is a huge blow to my budget. My friends at work think that since I didn't order it I shouldn't have to pay anything.

 

[PartyOf5]

I think I agree...I don't think you should have to pay. Isn't there a way they can pump it out?

 

[kathrna]

Does the oil get pumped into a tank? I guess I'm just wondering that if you bought oil before, wouldn't the holding tank (if there is one) already be full? I just remember having some sort of holding tank when we lived in Rhode Island. I think I'd start asking for supervisors and then the supervisors supervisor and so on. The key, stay calm in your conversations and TAKE NAMES!! If you didn't order it, they had no reason to deliver it and pump it into your home. Now if you had a contract that's a different story. But it sounds like you did not. But, yeah, I'd keep going up the chain of command. Good luck with this matter. Boy, I'd be so steamed and scared (like you said, you charged the last fill up)! Keep us updated!

 

[plummer925]

Ummm - NO - don't pay for it. Tell them to come out and pump it back out of your tank. They can do that. It will cost them money, that's why they did not offer it. I would NEVER pay it even if they lowered the price so much it was at a loss to them!

 

[SoonipiLady]

We needed heating oil last month so I shopped around for the best price and bought 200 gallons for 3.02 per gallon or about $600. It was the best price at the time and I had to put it on my credit card but it should last us until spring. Well, I come home from work on Tuesday to find a bill on my door from a DIFFERENT oil company for $838 for 250 gallons of oil they delivered while I was at work. It was 3.34 per gallon. I NEVER ORDERED THIS OIL!!! It was from a company that we have used in the past. We don't have the money to pay for this, as I said , we had to charge the other delivery. Anyway, my husband goes to the place and the lady admits they made a mistake and since we didn't order the oil she would do us a favor and let us pay for it over time. I was furious. I called and told her that if she expected us to pay for it we needed a serious discount. She said, "Well, oil has gone up in price the last few weeks you know". DUH! That's why I bought it 3 weeks ago. She finally agreed to match the other companies price and I can pay for it over time but I still feel taken. WWYD? This is a huge blow to my budget. My friends at work think that since I didn't order it I shouldn't have to pay anything.

I don't know where you're from and how long your heating season is, but from the sounds of it, you have a fairly large oil tank, so you must use a fair amount. Would you have to have to fill again this season? If so, I wouldn't pay the 2nd company until the time you had budgeted for you next delivery. If you didn't plan on getting more until next season, you can either take them up on the paying off over time at the lowered price or see if they'll pump it out. The only thing is if they pump it out, it really stirs up the "sludge" that settles in the bottom of the tank over the years and can really foul up you system. I'd go with the first option and just have the peice of mind that I got oil for a decent rate that I didn't have to charge on my CC.

 

[mylilnikita]

This sounds like a company I had to deal with, don't even get me started. If you had no contract, you do not pay for the oil. They can come pump it out, but they have to make sure they leave you with the amount that the new company put in, so keep those papers. Or they can cut it at a loss.

 

[gonemousin']

Okay...something doesn't add up to me.

How big is your oil tank? The average household tank is 275 gallons. I've been below an eighth of a tank and because of the reserve in the tank I've still NEVER had a 250 gallon fill up. It just wouldn't fit. Your tank would have been super super empty to stuff 250 gallons in there. That's what makes me think they didn't really fill your tank...or if they did, they didn't put 250 gallons in there. Again - this is assuming you don't have a bigger tank (or multiple tanks)...if you do, then strike that!

If they truly did deliver that much oil without your permission, you have EVERY right to make them come and siphon it out. The company won't like it and they'll try to convince you into other options (which is why they're so willing to price match - sure beats the cost of sucking their oil out of your tank), but you DO NOT have to keep the oil they erroneously gave you. When we bought our first house, the owners had signed a contract with an auto delivery service. They topped us off one day - I paid the bill but called and cancelled their service since we weren't interested in their HIGH prices. A few weeks later, they showed up and deliver another load without my permission. This time I called them up and told them I wasn't paying their bill so they could either pump it out or write off my bill. They were there the next morning pumping it out.

 

[mylilnikita]

There are 550? gallon tanks, my neighbors have theirs under ground.

 

[karliebug]

our tank is 550 so this filled it to the brim.

 

[EthansMom]

I would tell them that I did not order the oil and they can come pump that amount out of my tank because I'm not paying for it!

 

[java]

Doesn't heating oil come under some federal review kind of thing. There has to be someone beyond the BBB that you can report this to. You didn't order it. So hello- not your problem. It is their problem. But I think you need some kind of legal backing on this- which is why I suggested the "heating board" of your local community.
I would not be paying one penny for it.

 

[disneygal2007]

Ummm - NO - don't pay for it. Tell them to come out and pump it back out of your tank. They can do that. It will cost them money, that's why they did not offer it. I would NEVER pay it even if they lowered the price so much it was at a loss to them!

I second that
You shouldn't have to pay for their mistake.

 

[jennifer293]

I once had a similar situation with our propane company. I had specifically asked them to only come fill when I call because we don't use much gas. I was at my DD's school working one day and my mom tells me that the gas company came and filled my tank and the bill was over 400.00. I called them up and told them I did not authorize this fill and the lady tells me that they had a truck in the area so they thought they would go ahead and fill it. I said well that is nice and all, but I am not paying for something I didn't ask for. She pitched a good fit and I pitched one right back. I knew I was going to have to have gas for the upcoming winter so I told her that I would give them 100.00 for the gas or not pay for it at all and she could explain this loss to her boss and she said OK. I used all that gas and before I could fill again the company went out of business and took their tank, so I am with a different company now.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Oh my goodness! I wouldn't pay that, and and I'd send them a certified letter saying that you never ordered the oil, that such and such employee confirmed this verbally on whatever date, and that you are therefore not paying for this oil. Either they can come pump it back out (can that be done?), or else it's their loss IMHO. What a scam!!!

 

[Bren's Mom]

I wouldn't have them come pump it back out. There's always a chance that oil can leak and then you'd really have a mess on your hands. Personally, if they've lowered the oil to a price that you're happy with and they'll let you pay it off on your terms I'd leave it at that. Although I might try to protect myself from this happening in the future and send them a letter, certified RR, that says that you do NOT have an auto delivery relationship with this company and that any future deliveries from them, unless specifically requested by you, will NOT be paid for and they will NOT be allowed to remove it from your tank. That's what I'd do.

 

[disneysteve]

OP - Be grateful for one thing. You HAVE an oil tank. There were a few cases in Philadelphia last year or the year before where oil companies came and mistakenly pumped oil into houses that no longer had oil heat but still had the filler pipe outside. These folks came home to find their basements full of oil. What a disaster that was.

In this case, not sure what I'd do. Since they did agree to match the price you had gotten elsewhere, it won't cost you anything extra. I would sure be annoyed that they did it and I would make it very, very clear that I will never do business with them again and they are never to come to your house again, but I think I'd go ahead and keep the oil since the price is right.

I'd be afraid of them screwing something up if I forced them to come and pump out the oil.

 

[ceecee]

I would ask them to pump it out as well, unless it causes trouble (I don't know). I would definately call your local BBB and get that on their report. First of all, were you on an automatic fill up schedule? My sister is on one and that means they come out and fill the tank every so often not just when she calls. Did she give you a discount on it? If so, keep it and then pay for it the next time you would need a tank.

 

[Kies99]

I agree with what's been said. Don't pay and report them to the BBB.

We had a situation with True-Green lawn service. We used them one season to get our grass back into shape. We cancelled at the end and said we didn't need it next year. We came home one day the next spring and there were the tags in the lawn saying they did the service as well as a bill.

They tried the same tactics to get us to pay and I just said give me your manager and I refused to pay. They cancelled the bill.

I'm still getting calls from them asking if I want them to service my lawn again. I just laugh and hang up.

 

[happygirl]

I wouldn't pay for there mistakes

 

[tlbwriter]

If you told them to pump it back out, I'd be worried that they'd pump out too much.